Healthcare in China: Institutional Trajectories and Future Opportunities

Abstract

China's healthcare system is undergoing significant growth in the 2010s, including expanded government-backed insurance and experiments with private clinics, hospitals, and insurance. Reforms presently under discussion will further restructure relations among insurers, hospitals, physicians, and patients. Policy changes also are likely to change competitive dynamics in major healthcare industries, notably for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device and diagnostics companies. This essay summarizes the institutional history of China's healthcare system and identifies dilemmas for reform, especially in the insurance system and payment structures for hospitals and physicians. A final section analyzes opportunities for healthcare innovation and systems integration in China.

Keywords: healthcare, China, hospitals, health insurance, pharmaceutical industry, medical devices, diagnostics